Bend cyclist Tom Hainisch woke to a beautiful sunrise on a 10,000-foot mountain pass near Lima, Montana. Hainisch was one of three Bendites who competed in the Tour Divide, a 2,700-mile mountain bike race that stretches from Canada to Mexico. He placed 9th, finishing in 19 days. (Submitted photo)

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The rain began at dusk, just as Bryan Bergstedt began climbing Richmond Peak in Montana, one of the biggest ascents during the 2,700-mile Tour Divide mountain bike race. He and other competitors arrived in Ovando, Montana at 1:30 a.m. and slept on the porch of a general store. The rain continued to pour until noon the following day. Before setting out, Bergstedt, who finished 20th overall, applies lube to his bike's chain. (Submitted photo)

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After leaving Salida, Colorado, Bryan Bergstedt, a Bend competitor in the Tour Divide, a 2,700-mile mountain bike race, realized his Shimano Dynamo hub generator, along with his powerful bicycle light, had begun malfunctioning. Intent on riding into the night, Bergstedt struggled with rocky terrain, which his weaker helmet lamp did a poor job of illuminating. "I figured continuing like this was pretty stupid," Bergstedt said. He pitched his one-person tent 500 feet below Marshall Pass, Colorado, and resumed riding in the morning. (Submitted photo)

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After leaving Salida, Colorado, Bryan Bergstedt, a Bend competitor in the Tour Divide, a 2,700-mile mountain bike race, realized his Shimano Dynamo hub generator, along with his powerful bicycle light, had begun malfunctioning. Intent on riding into the night, Bergstedt struggled with rocky terrain, which his weaker helmet lamp did a poor job of illuminating. "I figured continuing like this was pretty stupid," Bergstedt said. He pitched his one-person tent 500 feet below Marshall Pass, Colorado, and resumed riding in the morning. (Submitted photo)

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Here, Bryan Bergstedt rides the first few miles of the Tour Divide, which began in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Bergstedt's friend and fellow competitor Tom Hainisch took the photo. Although Hainisch felt fresh and strong, he said he was a little anxious as he made his way to the front of the 200-person field. He rode among the top-five competitors for most of the 2,700-mile mountain bike race, ultimately placing 9th. Bergstedt placed 20th. Around 50 percent of competitors dropped out. (Submitted photo)

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Tom Hainisch and Bryan Bergstedt, both Bend cyclists, traveled to Banff, Alberta, Canada, to compete in the 2,700-mile Tour Divide mountain bike race. The day before the race, the two friends scoped out the first 15 miles of the course. The first day featured a mix of double and single track gravel, in addition to a boulder field that took racers three hours to "hike and bike" through. (Submitted photo)

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During the 2,700-mile Tour Divide mountain bike race, competitors often encountered flooded conditions, such as this stretch of road between the Whitefish Divide and Red Meadow Pass in Montana. While Bend competitor Tom Hainisch was able to ride through this section, other times he and others were required to ford waist-high creek waters while hoisting their pack-heavy bikes above the surface. (Submitted photo)

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Tom Hainisch, a Bend cyclist, enjoys a sunset and a slight descent in Bannack State Park in Montana while competing in the Tour Divide, a 2,700-mile mountain bike race that stretches from Canada to Mexico along the Rocky Mountain Range. (Submitted photo)

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Bryan Bergstedt, a competitor in the Great Divide, a 2,700-mile mountain bike race that stretches from Canada to Mexico, passed through one of Montana's high basins. (Submitted photo)

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Bryan Bergstedt (left) and Tom Hainisch stand before their Salsa Mariachi mountain bikes before driving to Banff, Alberta, Canada, to compete in the Tour Divide race. Streching 2,700 miles along the Rocky Mountain Range to the Mexican border, the race is billed as the world's toughest mountain bike race. Despite this year's attrition rate of 50 percent, Bergstedt and Hainisch finished in 20th and nineth places, respectively, among a field of 200 competitors. (Submitted photo)

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After 22 days in the saddle, Bryan Bergstedt finished 20th in the Tour Divide mountain bike race, which spanned 2,700 miles from Canada to Mexico along the Rocky Mountain Range. (Submitted photo)

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During the Tour Divide mountain bike race, which stretches from Canada to Mexico, competitors faced many challenging conditions. Here, Bend competitor Tom Hainisch deals with thick, sticky mud at Togwotee Pass in Wyoming. "This was worse than the rain, wind and snow," Hainisch said.The next day, the mud had dried up, allowing friend and fellow Bendite Bryan Bergstedt to cruise through the area without a problem. (Submitted photo)

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Tom Hainisch placed ninth in the Tour Divide, a 2,700-mile mountain bike race that stretches from Canada to Mexico. Hainisch's son Logan, 10, surprised his dad by accompanying his grandfather to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Even though Hainisch "smelled like a skunk," Logan said, he hugged his dad anyway. (Submitted photo)

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During the 2,700-mile-long Tour Divide mountain bike race, nearly 200 competitors confronted gnarly conditions. Here, at Union Pass in Wyoming, Tom Hainisch contended with six miles of snow, which at 2 p.m., was slushy and slow-going. Racers had to "hike and bike" through the snow. (Submitted photo)